Hair barrette

ABSTRACT

A hair barrette includes a decorative outer member, a basic member secured onto the outer member, a tubular sleeve member attached onto the basic member and made of a resilient material having a high coefficient of friction, and a clamping arm having one end pivotally attached to the basic member with a pivot pin, and the other end for selectively latching to the other end of the basic member, for clamping hair of user between the tubular sleeve member and the clamping arm. The tubular sleeve member includes a number of projections which may include either a sharply protruded structure, a smoothly protruded structure, or a wavy-shaped structure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a hair clasp or barrette, and moreparticularly to a hair clasp or barrette having an improved structurefor easily attaching to the hair of the users, and for preventing thehair clasp or barrette from being moved relative to the hair of theusers.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Typical hair clasps or hair barrettes comprise an ornamental ordecorative body or member, and a clamping arm rotatably or hingelyattached to the decorative body or member, for engaging into thedecorative body or member, and for clasping or clamping the hair of theusers between the decorative body or member and the clamping arm.

Normally, the decorative body or member is made of plastic or syntheticmaterials, and may be formed into various kinds of shapes or contours,and the clamping arm is made of metal materials, and is normally formedinto a curved structure for allowing the clamping arm to be resilientlyor springly engaged onto the decorative body or member, and thus forresiliently clasping or clamping the hair of the users between thedecorative body or member and the clamping arm.

In some of the prior arts, a spongy or rubber sleeve is further made andthen engaged onto the clamping arm, for increasing the frictional forceagainst the hair of the users, and for preventing the decorative body ormember and the clamping arm from slipping relative to the hair of theusers.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,661,748 to Racho discloses one of thetypical hair clasps or hair barrettes also comprising a tubular sleevemember made of rubber or some other resilient material having a highcoefficient of friction, for engaging onto a clamping arm, and forincreasing the frictional force against the hair of the users, and thusfor preventing the decorative body member and the clamping arm fromslipping or falling relative to the hair of the users.

However, due to the high coefficient of friction of the tubular sleevemember, the tubular sleeve member and the clamping arm may also berelatively difficult to be engaged into or through the hair of theusers, before the tubular sleeve member and the clamping arm may beengaged onto the decorative body or member. In addition, due to the highcoefficient of friction of the tubular sleeve member, the tubular sleevemember may not be easily engaged onto the clamping arm by the users orthe manufacturers.

The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate theafore-described disadvantages of the conventional hair barrettes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a hairbarrette including an improved structure for easily attaching to thehair of the users, and for preventing the hair clasp or barrette frombeing moved relative to the hair of the users.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a hairbarrette comprising a decorative outer member, a basic member securedonto the outer member, a tubular sleeve member attached onto the basicmember, and made of a resilient material having a high coefficient offriction, and a clamping arm including a first end pivotally attached toone end of the basic member with a pivot pin, and a second end forselectively latching to another end of the basic member, for stably orsolidly clamping hair of user between the tubular sleeve member and theclamping arm.

The tubular sleeve member includes a plurality of projections extendedtherefrom. The projections may include either a sharply protrudedstructure, a smoothly protruded structure, or a wavy-shaped structure.

Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from a careful reading of the detailed description providedhereinbelow, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partial exploded view of a hair barrette in accordance withthe present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the hair barrette;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 2, illustrating the otherarrangement of the hair barrette; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view similar to FIGS. 2 and 3, illustrating thefurther arrangement of the hair barrette.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, and initially to FIGS. 1 and 2, a hairbarrette 10 in accordance with the present invention comprises anornamental or decorative body or outer member 11 which may also be madeof plastic or synthetic materials, and which may also be formed intovarious kinds of colors, shapes or contours for ornamental or decorativeuse.

A basic member 20 is to be secured onto the inner portion of the body orouter member 11 with such as fasteners or latches (not shown), oradhesive materials, or by welding processes, and may also be made ofplastic or synthetic materials, and a tubular sleeve member 21 may bemolded or attached or engaged onto the basic member 20 by molding ormold injection processes, and may include a number of projections orprotrusions 22 extended therefrom.

It is preferable that the tubular sleeve member 21 is made of rubber orsome other resilient material having a high coefficient of friction, forengaging onto and for increasing the frictional force against the hairof the users, and for preventing the hair barrette 10 from slippingrelative to the hair of the users. The projections or protrusions 22 ofthe basic member 20 or of the tubular sleeve member 21 may also beengaged with the hair of the users, for further preventing the hairbarrette 10 from slipping relative to the hair of the users.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the projections or protrusions 22 of thebasic member 20 or of the tubular sleeve member 21 may be formed intosharply protruded structure, for styling the hair and for engaging withthe hair of the users. Alternatively, the projections or protrusions 22of the basic member 20 or of the tubular sleeve member 21 may also beformed into smoothly protruded structure (FIG. 3), or formed intowavy-shaped structure (FIG. 4), for smoothly engaging with the hair ofthe users.

The hair barrette 10 further includes a clamping arm 30 having one endpivotally or hingely attached to one end 23 of the basic member 20 witha pivot pin 31, and having the other end 33 for selectively latching oranchoring to the other end 24 of the basic member 20. The clamping arm30 is also preferably formed into a resilient and curved structure, forengaging onto the hair of the users and the tubular sleeve member 21,and for stably clamping the hair of the users between the tubular sleevemember 21 and the clamping arm 30.

It is to be noted that, in operation, the clamping arm 30 which has noresilient or rubber or spongy tubular sleeve member engaged thereon maybe easily engaged into or engaged through the hair of the users, andthen may be engaged onto the basic member 20 that has the tubular sleevemember 21 engaged thereon, for allowing the hair barrette 10 to beeasily engaged and attached onto the hair of the users.

Accordingly, the hair barrette in accordance with the present inventionincludes an improved structure for easily attaching to the hair of theusers, and for preventing the hair clasp or barrette from being movedrelative to the hair of the users.

Although this invention has been described with a certain degree ofparticularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure hasbeen made by way of example only and that numerous changes in thedetailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as hereinafter claimed.

1. A hair barrette comprising: a decorative outer member, a basic membersecured onto said outer member, a tubular sleeve member attached ontosaid basic member, and made of a resilient material having a highcoefficient of friction, and said tubular sleeve member including aplurality of projections extended therefrom, and a clamping armincluding a first end pivotally attached to one end of said basic memberwith a pivot pin, and a second end for selectively latching to anotherend of said basic member, for clamping hair of user between said tubularsleeve member and said clamping arm.
 2. (canceled)
 3. The hair barretteas claimed in claim 1, wherein said projections include a sharplyprotruded structure.
 4. The hair barrette as claimed in claim 1, whereinsaid projections include a smoothly protruded structure.
 5. The hairbarrette as claimed in claim 1, wherein said projections include awavy-shaped structure.